The Modern
Watchtower Prison
Jerry
Bergman,
Ph.D.
(Investigator
131, 2010
March)
In my
over 20
years as an
active Jehovah’s Witness, I was often asked why the word "Watchtower"
was used as the title of our most important doctrinal journal and is
one of the legal names of our religious organization. Although the full
title of the magazine now called The Watchtower has changed,
the word "Watchtower" has always been a part of the title since 1879
when the
first issue commenced.
For
years, the
inside
cover
of this "semi-inspired magazine" gave the explanation that a watchtower
is an elevated place where a wide awake person with sharp vision sits,
enabling him to "see far into the distance and tell those below for
whom he is a watchman what is drawing near, whether it is a danger
against which to prepare or is something good over which to be glad
with strong faith and hope."
While
the inside
cover of
the current issues of The Watchtower no longer contain this
explanation, many Witnesses still see the word Watchtower as referring
to this function for Witnesses because they believe that the magazine
sees into the future to warn its readers of future events so that they
can prepare for them. It is true that watchtowers were used for this
purpose in ancient times, but today watchtowers are used for a far
different purpose.
In
modern times,
and at
times throughout history, watchtowers were primarily tall towers
located in each corner of a prison, concentration, or penal camp. Their
purpose was to watch inmates to insure that they do not escape. Large
prisons may even have watchtowers in the middle of the wall to reduce
even more the likelihood of the inmates escaping.
In the same way,
critics believe that the Watchtower Society controls its members to the
degree that it could be said that they imprison its adherents (thus the
title of William Schnell’s book 30 Years a Watchtower Slave).
Leaving
the Watchtower Society is often termed "escaping," "breaking free," or
similar phraseology. In view of the modern use
of the term, the name "Watchtower" may thus be more
fitting for the Watchtower Society than first noted.
It
is apparent
that the
Watchtower Magazine serves this latter purpose far more than the
former. It is also clear that the "man in the watchtower" who is
supposedly able to see "far ahead into the distance and tell those
below for whom he is a watchman what is drawing near" has incredibly
poor vision. As Raymond Franz has brought out exceedingly well in his
book In Search of Christian Freedom (Atlanta, GA: Commentary
Press,
1991), the Watchtower Society has a very long and extensive history of
failed "foreseeing into the future" behavior. Their date prediction
failures (1914, 1925, 1975 are notable examples) are the most well
known example of their many false prophecies.
The
Watchtower Society is
clearly far better at keeping a watchful eye on those they have
imprisoned then seeing into the future.
Find out the facts on this website and avoid
or escape "imprisonment":